Your People are Here: Introducing the AANP Industry and Executive NP Community
Drs Crystal Kelly and Tracy Wilson are done with silos — and they’ve built a community where nurse practitioners in industry finally connect!
The American Association of Nurse Practitioners®
(AANP) recently announced the creation of the AANP Industry and Executive NP Community, bringing together nurse practitioners (NPs) who are shaping health care from outside the exam room: bridging clinical expertise and corporate strategy, patient advocacy and policy impact. Co-chaired by Crystal Kelly, DHSc, FNP, and Tracy R. Wilson, DNP, MBe, MSN.Ed., APRN, RN, FNP-C, this community offers members a platform for interactive collaboration, peer connection and the kind of support that only comes from people who truly understand your world. AANP spoke with co-chair Kelly about what makes this community different, and why she believes it’s exactly what NPs in industry have been waiting for.
Forming Bridges — Not Silos
As the AANP Industry and Executive NP Community is so new, NPs may be wondering what kind of roles and settings can be found under the industry and executive umbrella. In terms of settings, Kelly explains that “when we talk about industry, we’re thinking about the pharmaceutical industry, generally,” but when it comes to roles within that setting, “it depends, because they’re numerous.” Kelly first points to field medical affairs, “that clinical, scientific bridge between the clinical practice and what’s happening on the scientific side,” and then lists other positions, like “a role in clinical development and research.” Another industry role “could be health economics and outcomes, either roles or research. It could be market access, payer strategy. It could even be medical education and scientific communication…but it varies, is the bottom line.”
The connection between each role within the industry and executive specialty, as Kelly says, is that “NPs in industry help amplify the collective NP voice throughout the health care ecosystem. NPs in industry sit at a unique intersection of clinical care; research and evidence generation; drug and device development; policy, access and education. Without NPs working to connect these intersections, our profession risks being underrepresented where major health care decisions are made.”
No Two Days Are the Same…and That’s Exactly the Point
When asked what an average day might look like for a medical science liaison like herself, Kelly is clear that there is no “average” day. “It really does depend on the individual’s company that they work with, what their therapeutic disease state is and what they may be tasked with. Every day is going to look different for many of us, myself included, and that’s the exciting part of being in a medical science liaison role in industry.” To understand what members of this community bring to the table, Kelly’s own workday as a medical science liaison (MSL) offers a window in. There is no “average” day, she’s clear about that — but the mindset driving it is consistent: curiosity, scientific rigor and a constant drive to connect knowledge to impact. “We’re still NPs,” she says. “We’re still advocating for patients and for our profession, it just looks a little bit different.”
Most MSLs would describe their day beginning with poring over emails and medical inquiries — requests sent in by health care providers via what’s called a medical inquiry request form (MIRF). Each one prompts the same essential question: “What resources do I have at my disposal that I can share with the health care provider to help address their question so that they can then render more effective or accurate evidence-based care?”
MSLs may then transition to “reviewing recent research, if there’s been a recent article within that therapeutic space that has been released in the last 24 hours.” After making sure the articles have been read (and understood), an MSL might meet with health care providers or key opinion leaders. During these meetings, “the underscoring piece is a strong emphasis on scientific credibility and relevance. We don't want to just show up to these meetings to say, ‘Hi, how are you today? How was the ball game? What's the weather like in your area?’ It's more to establish a scientific relationship based on your questions and the challenges that you are experiencing when you are seeing patients.”
Between meetings, Kelly says that she and others in her specialty are “reflecting on those conversations, and we’re thinking about what we heard, what we learned and what we can capture as an insight. That’s a term you’ll hear a lot in the industry world — what can be captured as an insight — meaning what is something that could be meaningful, that is conveyed as a challenge for the health care provider or a challenge for the patient in receiving care? We’re reflecting on that conversation to determine: ‘What did I hear in that conversation that could be meaningful to the company that I work for, to help shape strategy, decisions or content that ultimately help the patient?’”
What kind of NP will thrive as a medical science liaison? “They need to love science,” she says about the NPs she has hired in her role as a director. “They also need to get really excited about how they can impact patients and health care outcomes. They need to be really agile and nimble, because if there’s one constant, it’s change.” Kelly notes that “for people who love that, who thrive on that sort of change, then it’s a perfect role.”
A Community That Has Your Back
If you’ve ever felt like you were navigating the industry world without a map — or without colleagues who truly understand the terrain — this community was built for that gap. Kelly’s vision of the new AANP Industry and Executive NP Community is specific: “This community supports career evolution without losing professional identity. NPs in industry can feel disconnected from their professional ‘home.’ AANP, as the collective ‘home’ for NPs, recognizes that engagement from experienced NP leaders and scientists in every setting is vital to our profession. Health care is evolving, and so must NP representation. A dedicated industry community signals that AANP recognizes where health care is going — and ensures NPs are part of shaping it.”
Your Community Is Waiting
Whether you’re already working in industry or just beginning to wonder if it’s the right path, there’s a place for you in the AANP Industry and Executive NP Community! Available only to AANP members, joining the new Industry Community is only $20 annually, and features opportunities to take part in interactive discussions and debate; gain support; and be the first to have access to the latest available news, education and information.